Road Tests

My dad owned a Mini many years ago. I remember playing in it as a child until one day when I lowered the sun visor, only to find the biggest spider I had ever seen. It was also the last time I sat foot in that car again.

The influx of Chinese manufactures into South Africa over a decade ago was initially met with scepticism in a show of attitude not dissimilar to what Korean automakers had experienced at the turn of the century

There are one or two cars that arrive at the Autodealer office each year that I would genuinely consider buying, if I could afford them in an ideal world that is. One such car is the Audi RS3 Sedan, which become a “love at first drive "affair” after a few hundred metres.

Allow me to start off this road test with an anecdote. You see, over my six years of evaluating the motoring industry and its products, I have, on occasion, been asked to review a few Chinese products.

Having already secured itself a spot as a finalist in the 2018 edition of the Wesbank SAGMJ Car of the Year competition, the Porsche Panamera certainly has a lot going for it. I am no stranger to the virtues of the latest Panamera, having driven a few since its local introduction earlier this year.

Up until very recently, the thought of Subaru departing from its turbocharged, all-wheel drive roots to crack the mainstream market would have been met by a snicker and a dose of flat-four noise from enthusiasts.

The segment in which the Toyota Fortuner, Ford’s Everest and soon-to-be-discontinued Chevrolet TrailBlazer compete is an important one for South Africans, with well over 1500 units sales being registered monthly amongst these large SUVs.

Just a few weeks after attending the launch of the updated Nissan Micra, now called the Micra Active, I received one to drive for a week. My sentiments surrounding just how good a package this little car is have remained intact after its weeklong stay.